Help On Air Lines

[sweeneythailand]

hi all i have been waiting for a visa for the wife to go to the UK. started in June went to court in London Dec 1st got the news today 14th have to wait until the 23rd for the visa now i have to take my 12 year old with me to pick up wife and baby

12year old school starts up again on 4th jan mum and baby wont fly all on there own so i have to come to get them now the cost of this is £3400 as prices are now stupid. any one any ideas on how to get this cheaper!

thanks guys

[hansnl]

Tell your wife that it is too expensive to go and get her........

[CharlieH]

Hi,

I cant give exact prices but as a suggestion, if you dont mind the extra travelling, go to Hong Kong and then Thailand. As HK is a major hub for most airlines its often cheaper going to and from the UK to HK and then down to Thailand.

unfortunately you couldnt have picked a worse time to travel with it being peak season.

I just did a quick check with VIrgin and going on the dates you suggest for you and your daughter (return) is 1190 if you then add the wife coming back its considerably less than 3400 even with the HK- Thai flight added in.

Hope this helps, its an idea to try.

If you have time check out flights to Singapore to for the same reason.

Air Asia are showing about 2400 for ALL of you including taxes thats London Stansted via Kuala Lumpur to Thailand (return)

Checkout Air Asia.com

http://www.airasia.com/th/en/home.html

Edited December 14, 2010 by CharlieH

[WilliaminBKK]

I have used vayama multiple times, they are owned by a large Dutch agency and offer nett rates online, works great if you have a UK/US/OZ/CA credit card.

[Lefty]

Skip going to meet her and use "meet and greet" services for wife at all the airports.

Lefty

[LuckyLew]

go get her a few weeks later after prices prices drop

[tonititan]

Tell your wife that it is too expensive to go and get her........

Honestly, that was my immediate reaction as well. I understand being nervous about flying (especially if you've never done it before), but I would think that almost any adult should be capable of doing it alone. Can you figure out why she won't fly alone, and then try to figure out a way to address those concerns?

[Xircal]

I understand being nervous about flying (especially if you've never done it before), but I would think that almost any adult should be capable of doing it alone. Can you figure out why she won't fly alone, and then try to figure out a way to address those concerns?

For anybody, let alone a Thai national, negotiating your way around international airports can prove to be a daunting task. More especially though for a Thai national because once she leaves Thai airspace, none of the signs will be in Thai anymore. So a flight with a temporary stopover somewhere is out of the question if she can't read or speak English very well.

If it makes it any easier for you to comprehend, imagine yourself, having never flown before, having to find your way around an airport where none of the signs are in English, or even written in a Western alphabet. So now go find the queue where you have to check-in.

[tonititan]

I understand being nervous about flying (especially if you've never done it before), but I would think that almost any adult should be capable of doing it alone. Can you figure out why she won't fly alone, and then try to figure out a way to address those concerns?

For anybody, let alone a Thai national, negotiating your way around international airports can prove to be a daunting task. More especially though for a Thai national because once she leaves Thai airspace, none of the signs will be in Thai anymore. So a flight with a temporary stopover somewhere is out of the question if she can't read or speak English very well.

If it makes it any easier for you to comprehend, imagine yourself, having never flown before, having to find your way around an airport where none of the signs are in English, or even written in a Western alphabet. So now go find the queue where you have to check-in.

Yeah, I get that. I've been in airports/train stations/bus stations in other countries where there is little or no signage in English, and where the staff spoke minimal English. But I figured it out, because that's just what you do in those situations. If you want to travel, you have to be resourceful.

I suggested that the OP try to figure out why she refuses to fly alone (fear of the actual flying, concern about getting around in the airport, just wants the company, etc.) and try to address those concerns. For example, if she's worried about navigating the airport, someone already suggested using "meet and greet" service. In other threads, people have suggested that the person start talking to some more experienced Thais in the airport, who can then help navigate during the layovers.

Also, even if she can't read English well, there is a good chance she can speak it a little, as she is married to an English-speaking man from the UK. The OP could write out a few key words/phrases with pronunciation tips written phonetically (in Thai) so that she can ask for help. Or, he could write out her flight info in English, and she can hand it to airport workers to read and assist. In most countries I've traveled to, if some foreign person looking completely confused asked for help, the airport staff would help. Or, the OP could write the flight info/instructions/destination/airport locations (gate, toilet, immigration) in both Thai and English. The wife could find her question in Thai and point to the corresponding question in English. With a little creativity, there's lots of things that could be done to assist her.

And if she is moving to the UK and really speaks NO English, well, then she's gonna face bigger problems than getting around in an airport....